Plymouth Argyle have finalised scouting player – Now considering January offer
English football is extensively covered by the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, particularly when it comes to articles about players from their nation.
An article promoting a Plymouth Argyle transfer target was published on Thursday night, and it discussed the possibility that Wayne Rooney’s team may make a move in the winter transfer window.
Fredrik Hammar is the man in question.
He is a midfielder for Hammarby IF and is 23 years old. Despite having played for Sweden at the youth level, Hammar has not yet been called up to the senior squad.
In the autumn, Plymouth Argyle has been scouting Hammar, according to the Aftonbladet story. According to the publication, the reconnaissance missions have now produced enough information to declare that one component of the operation is complete.
Hammar would now be open to receiving an offer from Plymouth, and it is thought that he would welcome such a move from the Championship team.
His contract expires in December 2027, and Swedish football follows a different calendar than the UK.
Given that interest is also coming from other places, Plymouth Argyle may need to act quickly.
In related news
Plymouth Argyle’s ideal Morgan Whittaker replacement is contracted to Leeds United
Last season, Plymouth Argyle, who won the League One title in 2023, just avoided relegation back to the third division by one point.
Being in the Championship for the second straight season, the Pilgrims, who hired Wayne Rooney before the current campaign began, are once again focused on surviving.
There were numerous questions about Rooney’s appointment because of his significant contribution to Birmingham City’s relegation to League One the previous season. He managed the Blues for 15 games and saw nine losses before being fired.
The Liverpudlian’s team’s 4-0 thumping against Sheffield Wednesday on the first day raised more doubts about his ability to maintain the Pilgrims in the Championship.
The fact that Rooney’s team went undefeated in three of their previous four games before the November international break, including a 1-0 victory over Portsmouth, recently confirmed the sense that Argyle might be able to avoid relegation. However, impressive September victories over league leaders Sunderland and Luton Town quickly followed.
Morgan Whittaker, an offensive midfielder who has scored three goals in 14 league games this season and recorded an incredible 19 goals and eight assists in 46 Championship games for the then-newly-promoted team last season, is a crucial player in the Pilgrims’ struggle for survival.
| Morgan Whittaker 2023/24 Championship stats | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 46 |
| Starts | 45 |
| Goals | 19 |
| Assists | 8 |
However, his efforts at Home Park have not gone unnoticed; in January of last year, Serie A team Lazio made a bid for his services, but he chose to stay with his current team.
But as the January transfer window draws near, there will probably be greater interest in a gifted 23-year-old who has shown his value at the Championship level.
Sam Greenwood would be perfect like-for-like Whittaker replacement
Sam Greenwood, a Leeds United player presently on loan at Preston North End, would be a suitable substitute should Whittaker depart the Pilgrims in January or the summer of next year.
With three Championship goals this season and a similar amount of predicted goals—the Preston player has yielded an xG of 2.4, compared to Whittaker’s 1.7—Greenwood has the most comparable statistics to the Argyle star; according to FBRef.
With the Preston player aiming 35.3% of his shots on goal and the Argyle star 30.4%, the two have also generated a very comparable percentage of shots on goal.
Argyle will be unlikely to sign Greenwood
Although statistics indicate that the 22-year-old, who is now under contract with Leeds, would be Whittaker’s perfect theoretical replacement, Preston has the option to purchase Greenwood at the conclusion of his current loan spell from Deepdale should he decide to depart Argyle.
The Pilgrims will eventually have to look for a Whittaker replacement due to high-profile interest, so this is not the best situation.
According to the Daily Record, Rangers, one of the biggest teams in the Scottish Premiership, has also expressed interest in signing the 23-year-old.
Greenwood might fill the void left by Whittaker’s departure from Argyle, but given his current form, it’s very probable that North End will use their option to purchase the star after his loan stint in Lancashire.
The Lancashire team will be eager to keep the former Boro player on board for the long run because he has three goals and one assist in his previous six Championship games for Paul Heckingbottom’s team.
